easter '13.

we spent this easter the same way we always do- with church, family, a visit from the easter bunny (i don't believe its only for kids), delicious homemade food & we were together :)

i was frozen...

i explored the NuLu district a little today and i treated myself to a brick oven pizza from garage bar.
plus very awesome cookies from please & thank you. 
 why because? its warm. i put the space heater away, so it must be true. now everything can really start anew. really, i don't think january counted. it was too uncomfortable.
 
 & since i finally feel like this year is starting...three months in, here is a quote i love:

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” –Benjamin Franklin

coming out of hibernation?

the cat and i spent some time on the balcony today. she sniffed the air and listened to the birds. occasionally, she would walk by where i was laying in the sun and nudge me. she was just saying a little thank you for letting her out..though now i feel a bit guilty for keeping her an indoor cat..

anyway, i have missed the sun. so much. it has been away far too long.

let us all say goodbye to winter. the black sheep of seasons.

the love of the nightingale.

so, jonas is in a play. 
april 11, 12, 13 & 14.
doors at 7:30, sunday at 2:30.
at the jctc theater
323 west broadway, louisville
in the brown building, 3rd floor
 come check it out :)

spring cleaning fever.

all week i have been going through all that we have and throwing things away. it has been wonderful. i love to minimize what i own. i even put my winter clothes away. hopefully this does not mean it will still be cold out.
i have also been considering new ways to decorate my home. i look forward to it all coming into place someday...

day in cincinnati.

we spent a tuesday in cincinnati because a.) it is my day off. b.) jonas is on spring break! c.) i am in love with the area. you have no idea. 

 we started our day at ikea with breakfast and some shopping. ikea is so annoying, like target, you buy things you do not need.  i am finished with that place for a while.

 then we headed to jungle jim's, a very amazing international grocery store. they have cheeses and butter from all around the world, aisles dedicated to one country or part of the world, tons of produce, meat, sushi, different pickles, soda, you name it. we spent a long time in the german section and found some great things, including Almdudler, an Austrian beverage that Jonas used to get when we lived in germany. my favorite find was spiced apple rings. delicious.

we spent a couple hours at the Newport Aquarium looking at creepy things from the deep. those crabs seriously look like a scene from an alien movie... my favorite at the aquarium is the jellyfish exhibit, they are mesmerizing. we got to see some of the creatures being fed and a sleeping otter. so adorable. 

we explored the city a little bit and drove by one of my favorite spots in covington. i can never get enough of this place. i sorta wish i still lived there..

last, we had neapolitan pizzas at A Tavola. the best style of pizza ever, if you did not know.

i hated leaving. will someone put a lasso around northern kentucky and pull it real close to me? 

hofbräuhaus.

i had the pleasure of spending my monday evening with my man in the cincinnati area. we had dinner at Hofbräuhaus, where we had kartoffelpuffer, schnitzel mit kohl and kasseler mit sauerkraut. we also had the opportunity to listen to the musical styling of Gerhard, the local accordion player. 
we stayed at that round radisson in covington. oh my, i get so nostalgic being there. it is almost too much to handle. but i love to see those german houses on the hills around that city and the gorgeous architecture. this area has so much character. i so love it & i love my husband for taking me away for a little trip.

we did nothing today.

at about 1:30 today we were finished with everything that needed to be done. so we watched a movie, made snacks, and i took a nap while jonas played video games. it was so amazing to do nothing. i cannot even tell you! this is not something we get to do often, which is fine because i really appreciated it. yay!

we love our katze.

we have had this little cat almost one year. she was basically a street cat with tons of bad habits. we were just noticing the other day that she has not done anything bad in a couple months. this may be so very silly, but we are proud of her and love having her in our home!

happy days.

i don't know about you, but i have been feeling happy and satisfied with life lately.  a few years ago, i never thought i could have that feeling. but i do. i'm gonna take it. & i want to keep really living and enjoying my life.

here is an amazing quote by my favorite author (if only she would write more fiction):

the only dream worth having, i told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead. to love. to be loved. to never forget your own insignificance. to never get used to the unspeakable violence and vulgar disparity of life around you. to seek joy in the saddest places. to pursue beauty to its lair. to never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. to respect strength, never power. above all, to watch. to try and understand. to never look away. and never, never to forget. - arundhati roy

polaroids.

i have not used polaroid film since i was a kiddo, and do not plan on using it much now because of the price. do you know how much this stuff costs now? stupid. but i asked for a roll this past christmas because you can ask for that type of thing, right?!

it is pretty cool. reminds me of old family photos.

the long awaited celebratory steak dinner.

one year ago, jonas decided he would take me out for a steak at Pat's steakhouse when i became a licensed funeral director. he held true to his word & it was great! we felt really fancy in that gorgeous dining room.

thank you jonas!

i felt very loved this week!

i took my funeral directing and embalming exams on monday & i had so much anxiety about it. i feel a little silly for talking and worrying about it as much as i did, but it would not have been good to fail. the night before my exams some sweet sisters from church brought me a gift with some much needed encouragement & my dad and katelyn left a voicemail that made my heart want to burst. after my test, my friend cammie had something waiting for me on my doorstep. jonas scratched my back and took me out to get my mind off of waiting for the results. it took all that i had not to call the KY board of funeral directors and ask what was taking so long! ha. when i called them, they happily announced my score of 94 on the law exam(i totally know what i missed too. ugh.) and 95 on the embalming section. unfortunately, i had made myself a little tired with worry, so i was too tired for it to feel real. i almost couldn't look at the rose they got me at work. i have just been so grateful for everyone's support. i have tried to tell them all, but it does not seem like enough. jonas took me out for steak & his uncle got me a gift!
  it has not just been support over the last week, but in the months leading to this day and the encouragement given to me since i first started mortuary school. like the long talks with my sister and the little coffin cake my mom had for me before i moved to cincinnati for school.  thank you all!

hammerheads.

jonas took me out so that i wouldn't go crazy waiting to hear if i passed my test. you should eat at hammerheads- but go early or you will wait forever! we also had our first Dairy Kastle ice cream of the season, even though it is cold and rainy outside.

sunday. sunday. sunday.

this sunday we got to meet Elder L. Tom Perry, an apostle from our church. it was a little like meeting a celebrity. we cooked gourmet pasta together. we watched parks and rec. and jonas helped me prepare for my embalming exam tomorrow. he is pretty awesome.

somehow, through the stress, it was still a pretty good day  :)

saturday night.

jonas told me that he wanted to take me out to eat tonight & it is my favorite to get dressed up and try new food. i hand chose a restaurant we had never been to and i even knew exactly what i wanted to order. unfortunately, jonas works late and this place closes at 10(lame). they were packed at 9:10 and would not let us get a table and i could see and smell all of that great food. it was torture but now i really want to go back, so it better be good when we do! 

we ended up at ditto's because it was the first restaurant we came across on bardstown road. they have a cool mermaid and a really really old computer, if you can see it in that photo of jonas.

while we were driving, we came across some teenager hitting himself with a plastic bottle in the head. it was hilarious. he noticed that we saw him and he did it more.

the best part of the night was jonas finding V for Vendetta for me. last week, i told him i needed to watch it after some protestors(that i really wanted to join) were wearing those Guy Fawkes masks. they were protesting the national defense authorization act and some other awful things.

oh, and it was uncomfortably cold tonight. i am so over it. but you probably figured that out from my constant complaining.

spring! show yourself!

i could not be more ready!

happy march. 

image credit.